hello — this is breakfast, with louise minchin and chris mason. good morning. here's a summary of today's main stories from bbc news. it's saturday the 22nd of december. our top story. police have arrested two people on suspicion of illegally flying drones over gatwick airport. flights were halted for more than a day after the first sighting on wednesday night. thousands of people have had their christmas travel plans disrupted. sussex police released this statement overnight: let's take a look at the live departure board for gatwick airport.

the first flights left just after half past five this morning. the airport says that it is expecting to run a full schedule today, but it warns passengers should expect some delays and cancellations. as has been the case over the past three days, the advice is to check with your airline before travelling to gatwick. we can speak now to ourr reporter ben schofield, who's at gatwick for us this morning — what's the latest ben? tell us about the disruption and anything more about these arrests. welcome to the south terminal at gatwick airport where they are hoping to see 750 planes through the ru nway hoping to see 750 planes through the runway today, something like 124,000 passengers. the biggest weekend for departures the airport will see this year. the christmas getaway in full swing. we've been trying to find out how much disruption been caused. more than 1000 planes cancelled or

diverted. two people arrested overnight. just four hours after the last confirmed drones sighting. the police say they will continue to work with the airport along with the military to keep the runway here open it flights in the air. thank you ben. you will keep us up—to—date. four stowaways found on a cargo ship in the thames estuary have been detained under the immigration act, after the vessel's crew was threatened. the grande tema left nigeria 11 days ago. the group are thought to have armed themselves with iron bars, forcing crew members to retreat to the bridge of the ship. no one was injured. hundreds of thousands of federal workers in the us are facing christmas without pay because of a partial government shutdown. it's because democrats refuse to sign off on funding for president trump's mexican border wall. roughly a quarter of federal agencies are affected — including the departments of homeland security, transportation and national parks. donald trump has warned that it will last for "a very long time"

if the funding isn't granted. a british warship has arrived in the black sea in response to russia's siege of three uk in vessels. the defence secretary says the presence of the royal navy showed support for ukraine in the face of increased russian aggression. spinal surgery is the unborn babies with spina bifida is to become routinely available on the nhs from next spring. the procedure carried out during pregnancy involves repairing spinal tissue. 0ur medical correspondent fergus walsh has more. i might not go too much deeper, frank, because we might need membranes in a second. this hospital in belgium has trained british doctors to carry out surgery to repair spinal defects during pregnancy. now families won't need to go abroad for treatment. thank you very much.

hands crossed. spina bifida develops during pregnancy when the bones of the spine don't form properly. this can cause a bulge from which spinal fluid leaks out. the condition can cause a range of lifelong health issues such as paralysis, bladder and bowel problems, and affect brain development. the delicate surgery happens at around 26 weeks pregnancy. the womb is opened and the baby's nerve tissues are pushed back into the spinal cord, which is then closed. the pregnancy continues for another three months. this must be my baby! hello! this is baby ayesha from belgium meeting the british surgeon who corrected her spina bifida when she was in the womb. doctors expect she will walk normally. two pregnant women in the uk have had the surgery this year. now it will be routinely available in england. a combined team at london's university college and great 0rmond street hospitals hope to treat 10—20 babies each year. fergus walsh, bbc news. a builder who has claimed a £76

million euro millions jackpot says he found the winning ticket tucked under the visor of his van, six weeks after the draw. andrew clark had a stockpile of tickets in his van and discovered the winning one in the stash after being asked to check by his partner. the 51—year—old says he will still be having a quiet christmas, but plans to celebrate the win with a meal at a restaurant in skegness on new year's eve. ijust i just love the ijust love the image of him driving around with effectively £76 million tucked into the visor at the back. at any point he thought, i could clear out all this rubbish. it all out. amazing, lucky him. now on breakfast — it's time to take a front row seat as mark kermode gives his view on the big releases of the year —

in review 2018: the year in film. hello and welcome to this review of the year in film. i'm mark kermode. we are here at the cinema museum in south london and, over the next 30 minutes, i'll be looking back at some of the best movies released in uk cinemas in 2018, from the blockbusters to the hidden gems. as always, the year kicked off with awards season, with top 0scar prizes spread a wide range of titles. frances mcdormand won best actress for three billboards 0utside ebbing missouri. gary 0ldman earned a belated best actor oscar for playing winston churchill in darkest hour. and the best film and best director gongs went to guillermo del toro's magical fantasy, the shape of water, one of my favourite films of the last ten years. contenders for the forthcoming 91st

academy awards are shaping up to be equally wide—ranging. the front—runner in the best picture race is a star is born, the fourth incarnation of this timeless screen story in which leading man bradley cooper makes his directorial feature debut. in the best actress category, lady gaga is also highly tipped, while the year's enduring earworm, shallow, looks like a dead cert for the best original song nomination. # i'm off the deep end,

watch as i dive in. # i'll never meet the ground. but there are plenty of other movies which could derail a star is born‘s winning streak. he's been working for a black man. you and the deep south. there's going to be problems. green book doesn't open in the uk until february 2019, but peter farrelly‘s ‘60s set drama about african american pianist don shirley and his italian—american driver bodyguard tony vallelonga, aka tony lee, has awards—friendly fare written all over it. french connection director william friedkin has already named it the most moving film of the year, and personally i wouldn't go that far, but i did enjoy the film, which features great performances from viggo mortensen and mahershala ali, the latter

of whom won a supporting actor 0scar for the 2017 best picture winner moonlight. so if i'm not black enough and i'm not white enough, then tell me what am i! 0ther front runners that won't here until next year include include big short director adam mckay's vice, in which christian bale stars as dick cheney, and if beale street could talk, the latest from moonlight director barryjenkins. also in the mix is alfonso cuaron‘s roma, an extraordinary black and white drama inspired by memories of the director's own childhood, and set in the titular neighbourhood of mexico city in the early 70s. the fact that roma is currently being touted as a best picture contender — it topped sight and sound's poll of best film of 2018 — is significant, because as it's the fact that roma is currently being touted as a best picture contender — it topped sight and sound's poll of best film of 2018 —

is significant, because as it's backed by netflix it would become the focus of some cineaste scented ire. back in april, netflix pulled roma from the cannes festival after they imposed a competition ban on films which didn't have a proper theatrical release, and it went on to win the golden lion at venice after cannes missed out. 0ther high—profile netflix—backed films from 2018 include the coen brothers portmanteau the ballad of buster scruggs and paul greengrass's harrowing docudrama 22 july, about the neo—nazi killings which shook norway in 2011. despite limited theatrical screenings, these films were part of a growing group of movies, which this year also included andy serkis's mowgli, alex garland's annihilation and duncanjones‘s mute whose primary audiences are watching at home, which raises the question — are they still movies? some see this as a battle between cinema and television, with netflix stealing away films from theatres and fans losing out in the process,

but like it or not this is the future, a future in which screens big and small will have to learn to live together, and it's up to the audience whether they want to watch a movie at home or in the cinema. watch this space. elsewhere at cannes, the palme d'0r went to japanese film—maker hirokazu koreeda for his new film shoplifters, which opened here in november, while spike lee's attention—grabbing black klansman took the grand prix. there's never been a black cop in this city. we think you might be the man to open things up around here. hello? this is ron stallworth calling. who am i speaking with? this is david duke. grand wizard of the ku klux klan.

that david duke? last time i checked. what can i do for you? based on ron stallworth‘s autobiographical book, black klansman is a stranger than fiction tale starring john david washington as the african—american detective who infiltrates the ku klux klan with the help of hisjewish colleague, played by adam driver. i think it's lee's best work since his oscar—nominated 1997 documentary four little girls, combining the stylistic slickness of 25th hour and the controversial potential of bamboozled. it was produced by the team behind get out and, like that film, it slips seamlessly from borderline absurdist humour to all too real horror. black klansman opened in the uk in august, six months after marvel‘s black panther helped change the whitewashed face of the modern superhero blockbuster. directed and co—written by ryan coogler, who made fruitvale station and creed, black panther was one of the best looking and most entertaining comics based movies in years. marvel scored another blockbuster hit this year

with avengers: infinity war, the first instalment in an intergalactic mash—up that brought together characters from across the marvel cinematic universe. the film ended on a downbeat cliffhanger, which left fans wondering about the fate of their favourite superheroes. you'll have to wait until spring 2019 for the release of avengers: endgame to discover what becomes of the brokenhearted. black panther and avengers: infinity war both became record—breaking money spinners, finding favour with audiences and critics alike. 0ther tent pole releases of 2018 included jurassic world: fallen kingdom, which took over $1.3 billion worldwide, despite downbeat reviews, which called it the weakest instalment in the already rather uneven series. a similar criticalfate awaited fantastic beasts: crimes of grindelwald, the second in the ongoing harry potter prequel franchise. despite being written by novelist turned screenwriterjk rowling herself, the film suffered

from a superfluity of confusing plot exposition, which many critics, myself included, found rather less than magical. there were less than stellar reviews, too, for solo, deadpool 2 and antman and the wasp, all of which nevertheless turned a healthy profit, proving once again that critics really don't influence box office. despite endless whingeing from hollywood producers about how damaging bad reviews can be, the figures prove otherwise. which way? turn left! good luck! personally, one of my favourite blockbusters of 2018 was mission impossible: fallout, the sixth instalment in the tv series spinoff in which tom cruise famously broke his ankle in pursuit of our entertainment, and what top—notch entertainment it was. directed by chris mcquarrie, fallout

is a real edge of your seat treat, boasting superbly choreographed action set pieces that leave you breathless. mission impossible: fallout also looked spectacular, thanks in no small part to mcquarrie's use of 35mm, a format which continues to be a film—maker's favourite, despite claims that it would die out in the digital age. for first man, the story of the 1969 moon landing, damien chazelle and cinematographer linus sandgren used a variety of film formats as they followed ryan gosling's neil armstrong from earthbound grief to extra terrestrial resolution. sandgren shot the up close and personal home scenes on hand—held 16mm, then shifted to 35mm for the industrial nasa sequences, before moving to the stark imax clarity of 65 mill for the expensive silence of the moon scapes. self—appointed space force cheerleader donald trump refused to watch first man, on the grounds that it didn't feature a rousing flag planting scene, something he called a terrible thing. away from the blockbuster market,

it's the smaller, more offbeat releases that made 2018 so interesting. my own favourite films released in the uk this year included jeune femme, the debut feature from leonor serraille, who won ballon d'or at cannes back in 2017. laetitia dosch dazzles in this superbly sympathetic and slightly comedic portrait of a young woman on the verge, pinballing around paris in search of an identity. writer—director serraille describes the film as a tale of metamorphosis from a girl into a woman, from object to that of a subject. i just thought it was a terrific movie. let me give you a tip.

you want to make some money here? use your white voice. my white voice? i'm talking about will smith white, like this young fellow. hey, mr kramer. this is super real of you. there were rave reviews, too, for sorry to bother you, the low—budget debut feature from musician turned film—maker boots riley, which became a classic sundance assisted indie hit. la keith stanfield stars as the telesales operative who finds himself having to sell modern slavery, with results that range from the comedic to the horrific. music: rock around the clock. i also loved cold war,

pawel pawlikowski's award—winning black and white feature, inspired by and dedicated to his parents. a love story about a star—crossed couple falling together and apart through the iron curtain of post—war europe, cold war takes us from poland to the streets of east berlin, to paris and yugoslavia over 15 turbulent years. the result is a swooning, searing, polish—british—french co—production that unexpectedly put me in mind of casablanca or la la land, as reimagined. a reminder of the fundamental things that apply as time goes by. there is a musical slant too to two of the year's strangest releases. indeed, 2018 may well be remembered as the year that

dancing became deadly. in gaspar noe's climax, a dance troupe descend into drug—addled delirium, leading to a highly choreographed orgy of destruction that at times resembles the notorious scenes from ken russell's infamous 70s masterpiece the devils. climax is purportedly based on a true story, although its trancelike stew of contorting, crumbling witness hooks like it was torn straight from noe's twisted imagination. significantly, provocative posters for the film played up the director's controversial credentials, screaming, you despised i stand alone, you hated irreversible, you loathed into the void, you cursed love. now try climax. accompanied by an image of the film—maker raising a glass with a demonic grin. for all its insane excesses, i really liked climax. i was less keen on suspiria,

luca guadagnino's remake of dario argento's classic 70s shocker about an american dancer who comes to a european academy, where she uncovers witchy secrets. while argento's dreamy fantasia possessed an abstract, timeless quality, this version fixates on the specifics of the 1977 berlin setting. at two and a half hours, a whole hour longer than the argento original, this tests its audience's patience, although you can't fault the dance sequences, which are dazzlingly demonic. indeed, 2018 proved another good year for horror in general, with fans and critics fawning over hereditary, although personally i preferred a quiet place, not least because i witnessed a rowdy movie theatre falling into dead silence as emily blunt went head—to—head with alien invaders. michael myers is a human being who killed his sister when he was six years old, then he came after you. we just want to know why.

we want a glimpse inside his mind. michael myers murdered five people. and he's a human being we need to understand. they are transferring him. tomorrow, seven o'clock. he'll be locked away until the end of his days. that's the idea. in october, a new incarnation of halloween brought the long—standing fright franchise right up to date, with jamie lee curtis reprising the role of laurie, halloween 2018 garnered the biggest ever opening weekend figure for a horror film with a female lead, and the biggest ever debut for any film with a female lead over 55. curtis, who also acted as executive producer, described the new halloween as a tale of female empowerment for the #metoo age, chiming with the time in which women are trying to take back the narrative in their own life from men who have abused them. michael's here. get downstairs. go, baby, go! although change is slow,

it does seem that the film industry is at least starting to become less of a boy's own club. many of the best films released here in 2018 were directed by women, such as lynne ramsey's brilliant anti—thriller you were never you were never really here, which opened in the uk in march. they said you were brutal. ican be. other personal favourites included gholam , the haunting debut from mitra tabrizian set in london's iranian community during the arab spring of 2011. shahab hosseini is terrific as the nocturnal minicab driver who has no desire to re—enter the battles of the past, but the plight of a trinidadian woman whose neighbourhood is being terrorised by young white thugs spurs him to unexpected action, rekindling a lost spark. if there are women present, cover yourselves now!

irish director nora toomey and screenwriter anita doran also scored a hit with the breadwinner, a brilliant animated adaptation of deborah ellis's much loved novel. a tale of youthful fortitude in taliban—era afghanistan, the breadwinner has something of the defiant feminist spirit of the french iranian gem persepolis. an international co—production from the studio behind song of the song of the sea, the breadwinner was my favourite animation of the year. you good then? you got everything under control, right? baby burbles. what the...? cookie, want a cookie? child want a cookie? cookie? oh, my god! in terms of box office, the year's runaway animated success turned out to be the incredibles 2, a rip—roaring romp with added attack, but beneath the eye—catching

retro designs and the slapstick adventure, the incredibles 2 also took timely swipes at gender and equality, family stress and the modern triumph of salesmanship over substance, very much a movie for our times. chief? time to go hunting. meanwhile, early man took viewers back to prehistoric times and the birth of the beautiful game. released in the run—up to the world cup, this stop motion gem was described as dodgeball meets gladiator by nick park, here taking his first solo director credit on a full—length feature. since the early days of wallace and gromit, park has become something of a national treasure, a multiple oscar winner who's been courted by hollywood studios but who retained a quintessentially british sense of humour. you stay. i don't want to attract attention. in captivity, i go insane.

0ther home—grown successes this year included beast, a dark mix of fairy tale and psycho chiller set onjersey. rising starsjessie buckley and johnny flynn provided visible spark that fires the story, a game of psychological cat and mouse in which desire and danger, innocence and guilt are intriguingly intertwined. it's a very impressive feature debut from writer—director michael pearce, a name to watch in future. i also loved lek and the dogs, the latest feature from that magnificent british maverick andrew kotting. inspired by hattie naylor‘s play, it draws on the true life story of a young boy who lived rough on the streets of moscow, where he was befriended by a pack of feral dogs. while you may well have struggled to find a cinema

showing lek and the dogs, you could hardly avoid mamma mia: here we go again. back in 2008, phyllida lloyd's original mamma mia became a home—grown hit, famously outperforming titanic at the uk box office. there is a sly dig at titanic in parker's prequel—sequel hybrid, which proved every bit as head spinningly delightful as its ramshackle predecessor. williejones plays the young donna, graduating from oxford before heading off on an endless holiday wherein she'll try on a pair dungarees and a trio of handsome suitors. meanwhile, in the present, sophie is striving to fulfil her mother's vision and yes, she had a dream, with renovated hotel belladonna, while wrestling with the prospect of history repeating itself on this idyllic island. how could you resist? i mentioned earlier that critics don't affect box office, something that was proven

at the beginning of the year when the huthackman musical the greatest showman became a huge popular hit despite some savagely stinking notices from no nothing reviewers, like me. # we will, we will rock you... and it was proven again towards the end of the year, as bohemian rhapsody drew raspberries from critics while earning rapturous responses from audiences. love it or loathe it, personally i loved it, there was no debating the brilliance of rami malek‘s central performance, which brought freddie mercury to the screen with uncanny accuracy. # thunderbolts... do it again. one more. how many more galileos do you want? roger, there's only room in this band for one hysterical queen. my own personal favourite film of the year was not a box office smash and if you missed it on its theatrical run, i'd urge you to seek out on dvd. it's called leave no trace, and it's directed by deborah granwick, who made winters bone.

the tale of a father and daughter living off grid in the promise of the pacific northwest, this pitch perfect drama is as understated as it is overwhelming. dad! dad. 0n the documentary front, i was overwhelmed by they shall not grow old, in which peterjackson used cutting edge technology to breathe new life into 100—year—old footage from world war i. it's a powerful and humanist work, bringing us closer to those who fought in the great war in this, the armistice centenary year. looking forward to 2019, january kicks off with the uk release of the favourite, the 0scar—tipped latest from yorgos lanthimos, which has already picked up a bunch of golden globe nominations, including best actress for 0livia colman and supporting actress nods for emma

and rachel weisz. i'll leave you with a spoonful of something from a movie currently playing in uk cinemas, mary poppins returns. have a practically perfect christmas and a very happy new year. where did you get that kite? i found it in the park. she kept it from blowing away. mary poppins! close your mouth, please, michael, we are still not a codfish. jane banks, still rather inclined to giggle, i see. good heavens! it really is you! you seem hardly to have aged at all. really! how incredibly rude. 0ne never discusses a woman's age, michael. i thought i'd taught you better. i'm sorry, i don't... you came back! i thought we'd never see you again. it's wonderful to see you. yes, it is, isn't it?

good morning welcome to breakfast with louise minchin and chris mason. 0ur headlines today: a man and a woman are arrested by police investigating the drone disruption at gatwick. today, more delays are expected but flights have resumed in the past hour. we'll be live at the airport with the latest. also this morning: the defence secretary, gavin williamson, tells the bbc the arrival of a royal navy warship in ukraine sends a strong message to president putin. natasha ednan—laperouse was just 15 when she killed by an allergic reaction to a pret a manger sandwich. as they fight to change food labelling laws, her parents tell us how she'll never be forgotten.